Demand for networking services continues to grow; however, the physical deployment space available to house a networking system has become cost restrictive. As such, manufacturers continue to supply more functionality in smaller components. Due to the reduced size of networking components, traditional fiber management techniques and apparatuses are often not useable.
Various solutions exist for providing fiber management for smaller networking components. For example, one solution uses a pair of cylindrical posts disposed within a housing. Other solutions implement VELCRO or a combination of VELCRO and spacers. Another solution includes a foam channel disposed within a housing, which is attached to a circuit pack. Each of these solutions has various shortcomings with respect to certain desirable characteristics for a fiber management system. For example, some of the solutions require a high amount of user dexterity. Others fail to provide a means to preserve a required minimum bend radius of the fiber. Loading and unloading the fibers can also be difficult using some of the aforementioned approaches. Also, concerns related to the possibility of micro-pinching and micro-bending exist for some of the previous solutions.
What is needed is a fiber management system that is able to maintain a minimum bend radius of a fiber, does not require a high amount of user dexterity to implement, and can be loaded and unloaded with ease.